Vehicle Description
California Wildcat in great colors. Loaded with options including
working factory A/C. Bucket seats and console. Great running 401
cubic inch 'Nailhead' V8 with Dynaflow automatic transmission. A
great-looking piece of Buick luxury/performance for an equally
great price. OK, let's deal with the elephant in the living room
first?go take a look at the photos of the leading edges of the
doors, then come back and we'll talk about it... Back? Good. As far
as we can tell, the paint bubbling is due to leeching solvents from
when the doors were stripped for a repaint several years ago. Some
of the solvent must have remained in the cracks and crevices and
it's causing the paint to bubble today. It isn't rust because the
car comes from California and the door bottoms, rockers, and other
critical areas are completely solid. We asked three different body
shops to handle the repairs and all three said it would be no big
deal to strip the doors below the side moldings and clean things
up, but none of them were able to tackle the job until next spring.
So we made the decision to put the car on the market and let the
next owner take advantage of the situation?get it fixed and there's
a lot of upside to this car.Now, with all that said, let's focus on
what's great about this car. First, it's gorgeous. The long, lean
Wildcat shape looks great in black and with the sophisticated
hardtop styling, it looks like an Impala on steroids. A bright
swatch of brushed stainless highlights the front fenders, giving
the Buick an easy-to-spot identity that we like a lot. Of course,
three 'venti-ports' in the front fenders are unmistakably Buick and
it proudly wears the Buick tri-shield emblem on the nose and tail.
The bodywork?aside from the doors?is excellent and it wears the
black paint quite well. There are no ripples or waves and the
sheetmetal underneath is laser-straight. This car was originally
code R, Desert Sand, which is a pretty blah color on the sporty
Wildcat, and the repaint was obviously thorough?there's no trace of
the original hue anywhere, even in the door jambs and engine bay.
Someone did a really good job, aside from the obvious. The chrome
and stainless trim remains in very good original condition,
including the aforementioned side trim that looks great. You'll
also note the original factory EZ-I tinted glass remains in place
and in excellent condition. This is a great-looking car from any
angle. The silver bucket seat interior is perfect 1960s cool. Black
carpets and dash keep it from looking to spacey, and Buick's
designers did an awesome job of blending sport and luxury. The
instrument panel should look familiar to Riviera fans, with two
big, round gauges ahead of the driver and auxiliary controls down
low. HVAC controls are those awesome aircraft-type sliders above
the radio, and yes, the A/C does work like it should?a miracle! The
console features Buick's cool little pushbutton shifter, as well as
a working factory tach. The original Sonomatic AM radio is still in
the dash, augmented by an FM converter underneath that was probably
installed sometime in the 1970s. New carpets look great and are
protected by matching carpeted floor mats and the back seat looks
practically unused. Overhead there's a beautiful matching headliner
with chrome bows that make the inside of the Wildcat feel special.
And as a full-sized Buick, trunk space is massive with complete
upholstery and factory cardboard bulkheads as well as a full-sized
spare tire and jack assembly. Buick's 401 cubic inch 'Nailhead' V8
was legendary for making torque, and that's what the '445' on the
air cleaner signifies: the engine's torque rating. Wearing a coat
of Dante Red engine enamel, the engine bay is nicely detailed and
extremely clean, with original details throughout. The A/C
equipment dominates, but you'll also find proper valve covers, new
belts and hoses, some recent wiring, a rebuilt brake system, and
even a reproduction Delco battery topper so it looks authentic. It
starts easily and runs great, pulling the big coupe around with
genuine authority, and even the little stuff is right?the 'COLD'
lamp on the instrument panel, for example, that stays illuminated
until the engine reaches operating temperature. I suppose you could
call the Dynaflow automatic transmission a 2-speed, but that
doesn't really cover it. It has two ranges, yes, but there are
really no gears and the sensation of acceleration is so seamless
that you have to experience it to understand it. It's plenty snappy
thanks to 3.42 gears out back, but it's also a comfortable highway
cruiser that just loafs along in the Nailhead's sweet spot. This is
a fantastic road trip car. Look around underneath and you'll find a
fresh dual exhaust system that sounds exactly right?not too loud
but not anonymous, either. The floors are California clean with no
undercoating to hide any surprises, and recent shocks maintain that
Buick luxury ride quality. Gorgeous Buick Road Wheels are always
the right choice and they carry newer 235/75/15 whitewall radials
for the perfect 1960s look. Get past the obvious and this is one
heck of a car. If you're an enthusiast with vision or maybe a guy
who knows a guy who's handy with a spray gun, there's a lot of
upside with this awesome Wildcat. Most of the heavy lifting is done
with the detailed engine bay, beautiful interior, and reliable
mechanicals, so all you have to do is see the potential and make
the move. Call today! Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes
personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our
inventory prior to purchase.
